Imprisoned?
by Kristine93
Summary: Quarantine? Hitsugaya could not believe it.He was put under quarantine with HER? Forced to share the same roof,TV,food and much to Hitsu's horror - cornered to talk? And now what? She's SLEEPWALKING? Can he handle it all and preserve his sanity?HitsuMatsu
1. Intro

_**A/N: Now that I look at it, this looks kind of random... Please review and tell me if it's worth continuing.**_

_**Oh, and before I forget...**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
**_

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Good day, everyone, my name is Hitsugaya Toushiro. And I'm going to die.

Well, technically, I'm already dead but there's no real reason why I should not die again, a horrible, most unexpected death, caused by certain circumstances, with which I am planning to acknowledge you. Any minute now. Just as soon as I stop banging my head against this wall. I might as well get lucky and fall unconscious and wake up, realizing it was all a terrible misunderstanding and that everything will go back to normal, but considering my luck, the chances are pretty slim… And I know, you curious little mortals, want to laugh at my misery in details so I'm now going to comply and satisfy your greedy brains as I explain how everything began.

It all started as an ordinary day in Sereitei. There was some strange purplish smoke over the 12 division (I didn't even want to ask what that freak Mayuri was up to again), the explosions in Zaraki's divisions were at usual rate – one to three every two hours, Nanao was fetching her captain in the local pubs and I was done fetching my own vice-captain about an hour ago. As you can see – nothing out of normal. As the day progressed, Matsumoto even woke up from her sleep on the office sofa and whined for who knows how long about her headache, while I just ignored her and did OUR paperwork, hoping that at some point she'll get tired.

"Taicho?"

Now, this is a very tricky moment. Should I answer and thus attract more complains and overly wordy explanations that I don't want to hear as I consciously pinpoint the beginning of this crappy day or shall I abandon all courtesy and just pretend that I am not her captain, effectively and very much intelligently avoiding the development of this unsustainable conversation? That's a choice everybody would find difficult to make.

"…"

"Are you still angry?" Matsumoto continued, a sign of embarrassment on her face as she did so. I signed the paper in front of me and stamped it before putting it aside and pulling another one towards me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Wow. Aren't I a talented liar?

"You _know_ what I'm talking about." She insisted.

"No, I really don't." I refused to look at her as I accidentally stamped a paper that asked for a permission for a pair of conjoined twins to enter the Shinigami Academy. Oops.

"We need to talk."

"Nothing to talk about." I answered, quickly dealing with a few more documents. I made sure to scowl and "hmm" thoughtfully as to emphasize on how busy and important I am. The only problem was that I wasn't really concentrated on what I was doing and something told me she could feel it. That was the most annoying thing about Matsumoto. She knew me too well and she obviously enjoyed misusing that advantage for her own questionable purposes. I could feel her gaze on me grow more and more intense with every passing second as if trying to pierce through my skin and right into my soul. Fine. You can stare all you want, I will not break. I will do my work and I will do it splendidly and I…

Now, what did I just sign…? I'll look at it once Matsumoto is distracted.

Matsumoto, however, didn't want to be distracted. She kept watching me, my every move, every breath and blink, knowing well enough it would drive me crazy. She wasn't going to let go of this. Finally, I sighed, putting my work aside – I wasn't really doing any anyway – and looked at her.

"Okay, what?" I asked. It sounded more like a bark but Matsumoto didn't seem offended. She walked around the sofa and stood before my desk with her hands folded in front of her chest and a decisive look on her face.

"I'm sorry about Friday, okay? I really am. You know I am."

Oh, _God_, did she have to remind me?

"I don't want to talk about Friday." I answered. Actually, I barked again. But, _seriously_, if I could, I would double capitalize Friday for what happened.

"You don't want to talk about anything!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air with indignation.

"You have a problem with that?"

"What do _you_ think?" she snapped and then added with a little bit of tease in her voice "Do you know what you are behaving like right now? You are acting exactly like a little _child_!"

I had lost my proverbial shorty-ness years ago and my height had exceeded Matsumoto's without a doubt, but nevertheless it always kindda struck a nerve when someone referred to me as a child. So by saying that, I guess she received the reaction she'd been aiming for. I sometimes pity myself for being so predictable…

"I PROHIBIT THIS WORD IN MY OFFICE!" I bellowed, slamming my hand on the desk. Matsumoto's eyebrows flew up to her hair as she eyed me with pessimism. I took a deep breath in, calming myself down as I added:

"This is getting us nowhere."

"_You_ are getting us nowhere! _Talk_ to me!"

"We broke up, I don't _need_ to talk to you." I blurted before I could even realize what was saying. My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks heat as I tried to fix the idiocy that had just escaped from my mouth and into the open space – that space being unfortunately close to my ex-girlfriend. "I-I mean, I didn't… This has nothing to do… This is stupid! I'm not having this conversation."

Very mature.

"That's _another_ thing we need to discuss!" she lit up and leaned over the desk and towards me. "Why are we doing this, Toushiro?"

Please, don't say it…

"We still have feelings for each other and you know it! Why do you keep denying it?"

I closed my eyes and sighed, running a hand through my hair. She already knew the answer, why did she keep bringing it up! Like it wasn't enough that random people on the street picked on me about dating one of the hottest chicks in Soul Society or that half of our friends tried to make tell them "how it was".

"Our relationship was a mistake. Friday just proved it." I stood up and rounded the desk. "And I don't want to talk about it."

Wow. I cannot believe how many times I repeated that sentence and its variations during the last fifteen minutes.

"I'm going for a walk. Look after the office. Don't break anything." I said as I walked pass her, effectively avoiding her gaze. I then walked to the door, opened it and almost ran into a bunch of cosmonauts.

Now, I want to clear things out – they weren't _exactly_ cosmonauts. They were Mayuri, Nemu, Unohanna, Renji, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Rukia. All dressed-up in space-suits.

"What is going on?" I asked, raising a brow as I eyed them all with a mix of curiosity and wonder. I could feel Matsumoto walking behind my back and doing the same, as the last four spacemen grinned at us, barely stifling a guffaw. I figured later they had volunteered to come just to mock at us for being in this terribly unfortunate situation. You will see exactly how unfortunate.

"Good day, Hitsugaya-taicho!" Mayuri greeted. I frowned, not liking the tone.

"What is going on?" Matsumoto asked, eyeing all of them one by one. "And why are everyone dressed up like this?"

"Those are special protection suits." Mayuri explained dryly and a choked laugh escaped my lips.

"Protection from what? Cosmic radiation?"

Mayuri didn't seem amused by that statement but then again – he's never sincerely amused. His very special life purpose is to be creepy and heavily made up. I don't know if he's ever smiled a happy smile in his entire life and also I'm pretty sure he could exterminate a puppy just by looking at it. I'm not saying this out of disrespect – out of inner gloating, maybe, but not disrespect – but you can be sure that I don't have a single joyful memory with this man and I highly doubt this would ever change.

Before I had time to think of all the other gleeful things that defined the 12th division captain's fascinating persona, Unohanna decided to take things in her own hands and stepped forward:

"During one of Mayuri-taicho's scientific experiments, a terrible accident occurred and a dangerous virus leaked out of the lab. We believe the wind carried it to 11th and 10th division so we're putting those, along with 12th division under quarantine."

Matsumoto and I just stared, dumbfounded at the cosmonauts, waiting for some of them to scream "GOTCHA!" and start laughing their heads off. But really – Mayuri and Unohanna weren't exactly the joke type.

"What does that mean?" I asked carefully. At that point Renji, Ikakku, Yumichika and Rukia _did_ burst into laughter. This wasn't good.

"We have preparation for situations like this, so you don't have to worry about anything." Unohanna said calmly. "We've already began evacuating the divisions."

"What does that mean?" I asked again, becoming more and more dumbfounded by every minute. "Are you going to lock us away or something?"

Hah, yeah, right. Like that was ever gonna happen. Some virus leaked out – big deal! They can't just lock away three whole divisions just because some people from there might eventually…

"Yes, that's pretty much it." Renji broached, snickering under his breath. "And since you and Rangiku are the heads of the divisions, you're getting your own locked up house which you'll be prohibited to leave until further announcement! Can you imagine how much _fun_ it'll be?"

No, for me it won't.

The whole place was like a small village, separated from the fourth division, yet inside it. It was filled with many identical houses, positioned at equal distance and all completely painted in horribly depressing grey colors. I was still having some trouble comprehending the situation and so I hadn't yet completely freaked out, but I could see it coming. Matsumoto looked calm enough but it was probably because she was already planning in her head how to force me to talk once we were all alone and devoid of any fresh air or day-light. I glanced at her and a small comforting smile tugged at her lips as she met my gaze. I snorted, looking away. Yes, there was no doubt that the evil mill-wheels in her head were already spinning at an extreme rate.

Unohanna explained that every settlement was completely isolated and food and water was brought at certain hours by cosmonauts. Each house was furnished and designed to be livable for a long period of time. Now, what that period of time would be – that she didn't know.

We were led to the end of this "village" where a few larger two-storey houses stood proudly, awaiting their tenants. I was still calm when Matsumoto and I entered it and I was still composed when the huge metal door was closed behind us, but the moment I heard the sound of it being locked, I cracked.

"Taicho? Are you alright?" Matsumoto asked, carefully approaching me. I couldn't comprehend what she was saying, I was just standing there, my eyes wide and I was shaking. And then… I started banging my head against the nearest wall.

And this, my dearest mortals, is where you found me.

"Taicho!" Matsumoto yelled, grabbing me by the collar from behind and pulling me away from the wall. I tried to resist but I was too dizzy to be in any condition to do anything except for reel in the wrong directions and so I was forcefully dragged to the living-room and pushed on the coach.

"Aw, come on, taicho! It's not so horrible! We'll have lots of fun!" Matsumoto assured me, rubbing my arms and grinning. "Besides, you did need a rest from all that paperwork. There you have it now! Fate smiled upon us!"

I was shaking my head the whole time she was speaking.

"Don't be like that, taicho! Think of this as a vacation!"

Imprisonment.

"We can play cards, and look! We've got a TV! Aww, isn't this thoughtful? We can watch movies from the real world till late at night. And fashion shows. And imagine all the time we'll have to catch up and talk…"

"NO TALKING" I screamed as I ducked by her and right to the front door, banging my fists against it. "I WANT OUT! I CAN'T STAY HERE! LET ME _OUT_!"

I don't know exactly what happened next, but I assume she sneaked up on me and smashed a vase in my head or something because I woke up several hours later on the couch, my head in inexplicable pain. I groaned and propped myself on my elbows, looking around. A second later all the memories rushed in my head and my inner world broke into heart-wrenching screams.

I blinked a few times, growling under my breath as my eyes adjusted to the poor light. It was already dark outside, I must've been out for quite awhile. Or maybe I've been hit more than once if I had had other nervous fits during previous awakening. I didn't know and I didn't want to know.

Only then did I notice that Matsumoto was sitting in the foot of the couch, sagged in the softness of the furniture and with her legs tucked beneath her. Her eyes were directed lazily at the TV, the volume of which was almost imperceptible to hear but she glanced at me and smiled softly when she felt my gaze on her.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" she asked quietly. "I'm really sorry I had to hit you. You were kindda losing it…"

I sighed, dangling my feet of the side of the couch. My head throbbed dully as I stood up and made a uncertain step forward.

"Any news?"

"They brought food. Are you hungry?"

"How much time are we going to stay here?" I asked, ignoring her question as I headed for the kitchen. I heard her stand up and follow right behind me.

"I don't know." She replied, hesitation seeping in her quiet voice as she probably wondered how I'd react to that statement. I felt too drained to be put out so I sighed again as I poured myself a glass of water. I didn't even want to contemplate the extents to which this little adventure could harm my internal harmony. And sanity. Because, _seriously_, the last thing I needed now, was to be forced to share the same house with my ex-girlfriend. My very sexy, very unpredictable, very cracky ex-girlfriend, who wanted to _talk_ with me.

"Then we'll have to have some things cleared out." I asserted, placing the half-empty glass on the counter. Matsumoto tilted her head to a side, eyeing me quizzically.

"Bathroom turns?" she suggested, smiling sheepishly. I rolled my eyes.

"Let's examine the house."

"_One_ bed?" I almost screeched, looking at the huge, queen-sized bed. Matsumoto giggled behind me, peeking over my shoulder at the room.

"Oh, look! They even have tiny chocolates on the pillows! It's so cute."

It was not.

"This is no hotel room, what are this idiots thinking?" I vexed, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "Are you positive there's no other bedroom in the whole house?"

Matsumoto wasn't listening. She darted past me and jumped on the bed, bouncing gleefully on it as she stuffed one of the chocolates on her mouth.

"Aw, taicho, this bed is so soft and fluffy! You have to try it!"

"I hate soft." I barked, turning around on my heel. "I'm sleeping on the couch downstairs."

The bouncing ceased. As I was walking away, I could hear Matsumoto sigh wearily but I tried not think about it. It was the right thing to do. No complications.

Several minutes later Matsumoto was showing me the stuffed fridge and what kind of food they had brought. I had to admit, they had pretty much thought of everything – meat, eggs, diary products, fruit and vegetables. It was all there. Not to mention the quantities were rather formidable.

"We can live with this." Matsumoto pointed out thoughtfully and then I recalled how Matsumoto ate. And I knew it wasn't that formidable. I could still recall in great detail Matsumoto's unpredictable eating habits and her vigorous appetite. And I could not comprehend how a slim being such as her could exterminate those humongous amounts of nutrition and still look the same. I made a mental note to hide a few things, just to make sure I wasn't endangered with perishing from starvation.

Aside from the living-room, the bedroom, the kitchen and the bathroom, there was nowhere to go. I found myself somewhat exhausted at the throught of the limited space that me and Matsumoto were going to have to share during the next few… I don't know what. Days?

I sighed. This was going to be… awkward.

"What did I miss?" Renji asked, entering the room with a large bowl of pop corn. No one turned around to face him, all of their eyes focused on the three screens in front of them.

"Nothing." Rukia replied, shaking her head with disappointment. "They went to bed."

"So early?" Renji exclaimed, almost tripping in a cable as he walked through the dark room and towards the sofa, where the others sat.

"Hitsugaya-taicho is in a hateful mood right now." Ikkaku explained, shrugging, as he shoved his hand in the bowl of popcorn, pulling a handful and stuffing it in his mouth. Rukia made a face at the charming sight and pulled a bit away from the bald man.

"This is so exciting! I'm soo glad Abarai came with the hidden-cameras idea! It's been so long since something intriguing has happened in Sereitei." Yumichika chirped, absently combing his hair with his fingers as he watched the screen that showed the living-room. Hitsugaya was laying on the couch, his blanked pulled to his mid-chest, his hands under his head and his eyes focused on the ceiling.

"Yeah, really smart, but Rangiku's already asleep and nothing's going to happen. Why are we still-…"

"Wait!" Renji exclaimed, pointing at one of the screens, showing the bedroom. "Something's happening."

The four of them leaned forward, trying to have a closer look.

"What is she doing?" Yumichika asked, blinking with confusion.

There was a short pause, before Rukia finally gasped, the realization sinking in.

"Rangiku's sleepwalking!"

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_**A/N: Soo... Do you think I should continue this?**_


	2. Macaroni and Cheese

**_A/N: Heeey, thanks everyone for your support! You were all very kind, all very very sweet and you pushed me to write even though I'm really lazy! I hope you continue reviewing!_**

**_Now, someone asked me if this was the sequel of "Holiday In the Living World". I guess you could look at it that way - I mean originally I had stocked the idea precisely for this matter but I think it wouldn't be much of a problem if you hadn't read the "Holiday". Now that I look at tha old fic of mine, it's full of mistakes and imperfections and even though I'm sure there must be errors in my current work as well, I'm pretty sure it's not that bad. Anyway... a big WARNING for everybody who haven't read the "Holiday": a VERY OUT OF CHARACTER HYOURINMARU. Yeaaaah, he's going to be a bit of a perv, and he'll probably stuck his nose a lot in Hitsu's business, I hope you don't mind. This chapter is a bit weird, but the way I see it, the whole fic is going to be pretty weird... Oh, well... There you go, chapter 2!  
_**

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This was officially the worst day of my life. I was stuck in this house, all alone, with Matsumoto representing the only close to rational being around me, while a strange quarantine was on the loose all around _my_ division and let's not let out the worst part – I hadn't finished my paperwork. I bet no one would be so kind as to do it instead of me, so the moment all of this insanity was over with, I'd be stuck with two-weeks worth of reading, writing and stamping. Oh, the joy.

Little did I know the joy was about to get even _better_.

I was laying on the sofa in a pair of old baggy pants I used as pajamas and staring with an intense scowl at the ceiling. I suspect that from a different angle one could assume I was making very arduous attempts to burn a hole in it (maybe in order to re-attain my freedom) but the truth was I was trying to detonate the whole house. Myself along with it.

Now, as hard as it is to believe, I _was_ indeed making efforts to keep positive or neutral thoughts as the dominating padding of my head but so far this was the best I could do. And trust me, it was _still_ a good thing I hadn't completely freaked out yet. I might not look that way, but I get really, _really_ anxious when I stay indoors for too long. Right now the mere idea of not going out for days was having an extra unnerving effect on me and when I recalled the fact Matsumoto was going to be with me the whole time, I wanted to scream. Really. Badly. And trust me, I don't usually do screaming. Especially inner screaming…

…But right now inner screaming was very popular with me.

I felt my jaw clench as my brain flooded with images of how I was about to spend the next few days. The thought of pointless passing of time, bad cooking and long-avoided conversations sent my mind overloading and I had to remind myself to breath slowly in and out, cuz I was just teensy-weensy hairbreadth away from hyperventilating.

_**You're overreacting again.**_ A familiar voice echoed in my head and I exhaled through gritted teeth.

"Where the hell have you been?" I snapped and Hyourinmaru half-roar half-laughter rang inside my mind.

_**Hooking up. You'd be surprised how many single ladies there are in times of crisis.**_

"I wouldn't know. I'm stuck with the only one I can't touch." I replied sarcastically, the remark rewarded with yet another "sort-of" laugh. Since I'm this responsible, serious and profound man, it's only natural that my soul slayer likes slacking and is so very fond of those little attempts of his to force me into discussions about how babies are made. However, as hard as it is to believe, I wouldn't want anyone else as a zanpakuto, even if I _could_ choose. Does that sound weird to you? Don't be so surprised. What I'm _actually_ trying to say is, despite the fact he could be extremely irritating at times (especially when it comes to my love life) and even though every once in awhile it makes me wish I could punch him, I know this is his pervy, twisted way of caring.

_**But you used to! Oh, sweet memories… If I knew you'd break up for such a moronic reason, I'd tell you to at least shoot a record. Something like that would be worth a fortune on the black market now.**_

And that coming from an ancient, powerful and wise creature such as Hyourinmaru.

I sighed and rolled to a side, tuning him out with ease. I love him for who he is, but one has to have their ways to keep their sanity. Trust me – with both a zanpakuto and a girlfriend… _ex_girlfriend like this, _I_ would know.

I closed my eyes, Hyourinmaru's voice fading away in the distance as I tried to deliberately slow down my breathing. It's a good trick I sometimes use when I can't fall asleep – it speeds up the process in most of the cases.

Several minutes later, just as I was beginning to feel myself finally relax, a strange noise reached my ears, sending my muscles into alarmed, tensed state. I cracked open my eyes, my thoughts running wild in my head as I counted off all the possible sources of the sound. Just, as I was reaching quietly for my zanpakuto under the pillow, it hit me (pretty much like a brick in the face) and I barely resisted the urge to slap myself in the forehead.

_Matsumoto…_

I can't believe I had forgotten about her! Or forgotten the merry fact that I wasn't all alone at my own house, where no sane burglar would dare enter.

I sighed, realizing all of my attempts to fall asleep were gone for good and decided I might as well get a glass of water now that I was already fully awaken.

I got off the sofa weary and rounded it, my mouth opening in the process to let Matsumoto know I was up. I didn't have the chance to speak up though - for she was so very kind to turned on the lights.

"AHHH!" I screamed as the odious light hit my widened pupils before I had had the chance to cover my eyes. I cursed under my breath, palms hiding my temporarily damaged sight as I jumped about blindly like it that was going to make me any better. Figuring this was about to be really fun, Hyourinmaru decided it was a good moment to join and contributed to my irritation with more uproarious laughing.

"This is unbelievable!" I murmured angrily as my eyes finally adjusted and I pretty much tramped my frustrated way into the kitchen. I entered, feeling too tired, too worn out and too exasperated not to let it all out on Matsumoto when I saw her pulling enormous amount of food out of the fridge and putting it on the counter.

"There you go again, killing our nutrition like you did with my eyes…" I quipped, making sure to drag my feet as loudly as possible when I got a glass from above the sink and then filled it with water.

Matsumoto didn't reply(which alone was unnatural). She just kept putting products on the counter as if I had not come in at all and when I sneaked a peek at the fridge and noticed half of it was already empty, a hint of suspicion crept into my head.

"Hello? Matsumoto?" I called in a snidely sing-song voice. No reaction.

_**I always knew this was gonna happen – I just didn't think it was going to be so soon! She realized you were too uptight and boring to be paid any attention to and now she's ignoring you! I'm so sorry, master, but you'll have to get used to being a lamp.**_

I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for a skirmish with Hyourinmaru right now and carefully approached my vice-captain from behind. By now the whole containing of the fridge was out in the open, piled on the counter without any care for what was breakable and what wasn't.

"Hello?" I called again, more cautiously. I peered over the opened door of the fridge, trying to see Matsumoto's face. I blinked, a look of bewilderment taking place on my face as I noticed she was _still_ pulling things out of the fridge.

_**What is she doing? There's nothing there…**_

She was reaching in, closing her fingers about the thin air, then pulling her hand out and placing whatever she thought she was holding on the counter before repeating the motion.

_**This must be some sort of a game you're too stupid to understand.**_

"Oh my…" I murmured, flabbergasted. "She's sleepwalking!"

…_**Precisely the type of game I was talking about.**_

I shook my head, still trying to comprehend what I was seeing.

"This is no game. She doesn't know what she'd doing." I paused to swallow with some difficulty before adding. "She's asleep."

_**Oh. Makes sense. We should probably wake her.**_

"No. We mustn't. It could be really bad for her. We just have to watch over so she doesn't do anything stupid or dangerous. It probably won't last more than 30 minutes."

I had read about this. It was quite an individual experience. For some it could be very dangerous – they could walk off the top of a building, cut themselves or even attack somebody. Others did all kinds of natural things – such as cleaning, "watching" TV or in Matsumoto's case… emptying the fridge.

…Or…

Hm… I wonder if…

I leaned in closer to her and lowered my voice, trying to sound as soothing as possible.

"Matsumoto… It's Hitsugaya-taicho. The fridge is empty now, you can stop."

For a moment she didn't seem to notice me and just pulled the next "product" out but then all of a sudden she turned around and closed the door of the fridge.

"Hitsugaya-taicho…" she mumbled almost inarticulately. Her eyes were half-opened but glossed-over and unfocused. Despite her strange state however, she had obviously heard me. The thought made me smile, regardless of my inner resistance to that action.

"…so pig-headed…" she finished and I immediately stopped smiling, an angry scowl forming on my face as Hyourinmaru burst into yet another fit of laughter. Boy, could I amuse this creature to death, or what?

_**Wow, you're so plain obvious, she figures you out even when she's unconscious. Ah, this woman keeps amazing me. You should give her a raise. And then a kiss. And then a hug. And then a s…**_

"Shut it." I snapped quietly before turning back to Matsumoto. "Would you like to sit down? I'll get you a chair."

And so I did, being a gentleman to the lady even if she resembled a plant more than she resembled a real lady. She slowly sat down and I felt strangely relieved that she was such a obedient sleepwalker. Bickering with her in this condition wouldn't be much fun.

"Okaaay. Isn't that nice?" I continued, sitting opposite of her and forced myself to soften my usual tone into a velvet-like coo. "You must be really tired from all this work of pulling everything from the fridge out. You did a great job that no one else could fulfill. Would Matsumoto now like to go back to bed?"

"No."

I stared, dumbfounded.

"Why not?" I exclaimed without thinking, then cringed at my own loud voice and added again, more quietly. "Why not?"

"I'm hungry."

Splendid.

"Would you like a fruit? Or a cookie? Or…"

"Macaroni and cheese."

Just marvelous.

"But fruits are better for you…" I tried desperately, already knowing it was in vain. Her head tilted unusually much to a side.

"No macaroni and cheese, no going to bed."

Great. A sleeping person was manipulating me. How low could I fall?

I sighed, throwing my hands in the air with defeat.

"Ok. As long as you promise you'll go back to bed as soon as you're finished."

"Rangiku promise!"

And so, in the middle of the night, I found myself boiling macaroni for my unconscious ex-girlfriend in order to get her in bed. No pun intended.

I've never been a culinary genius, but my opinion is if you strictly follow the recipe, you just can't get it wrong. Hyourinmaru's opinion is if you strictly follow the recipe, you're a stuck-up Hitsugaya, who needs to get laid and fast. But right now we don't care about Hyourinmaru, because he won't boil us any macaroni – the best he can do is produce a lump of macaronsicles but I doubt they would be very tasty.

Fifteen minutes later I placed a plate of macaroni and cheese in front of Matsumoto and gave her a spoon (I was a bit scared to give her a fork) and urged her to eat. She didn't move for a minute, then stood up and walked to the pile of products on the counter, pulling a raw egg and handing it to me.

"You're hungry." She stated wisely. I blinked.

"No, I'm not."

"You are."

"No, I'm not."

"Pig-headed!"

"Fine, _I'll take it_…" I drawled with annoyance, carefully accepting the gift before going back to my place and sitting down. I watched her eat in silence (with the egg secured in my palms) and then several minutes later, after the plate was already empty, keep scooping up and putting the spoon in her mouth in a mechanical motion. With yet another sigh I informed her there weren't any macaroni left and suddenly she seemed very much aware of the fact as she put the cutlery down and smiled absently.

_**You can ask her anything you want now, I bet she'll answer! It'll be like "Truth or dare" only without the dare. And with only one person playing.**_

"I won't do it. It'll be like taking advantage of her." I rebutted firmly as I stood up and took her arm, trying to coax her to stand up.

"Aw, come on, you promised!" I whined when I noticed Matsumoto wasn't moving. In any other circumstances I would've most probably just dragged her upstairs but in this condition of hers I was a bit uneasy about using force.

"Toushiro…" she whined back, the name making me jump a little.

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho!" I snapped out of sheer habit as I felt the form of address hit a whole chain of memories. "Do not call me by my first name, lieutenant!"

_**Oh, well. Pig-headed it is. This is like yelling at a furniture for tripping you up. Which by the way I've seen you do.**_

"Will you give me a goodnight kiss?" Matsumoto asked in an innocent drawl. I choked.

"_What_?"

Was she serious? She couldn't be! I was in some sort of a living hell!

_**You must be in heaven!**_

"Matsumoto…" I tried but she grabbed my arm with unexpected force, trying to pull me towards her. "I-I can't… It's immoral!"

_**What the heck?**_

"But I can't go to sleep without my goodnight kiss!" she pouted and I arched an annoyed brow.

"You obviously did!"

_**Will you please explain to me why you're disputing this matter with an unconscious person?**_

I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to yell at both of them and after a few deep breaths I attempted to reason with her:

"Okay, I'll make you a deal: tomorrow night, if you still want a goodnight kiss, I'll give you one. But right now I can't." I paused, searching my genius mind for a brilliant and plausible excuse. "Hyourinmaru will be jealous."

**What! NO, I WON'T BE JEALOUS!**

Matsumoto seemed to understand everything, her mouth forming an "o" as she carefully stood up and allowed me to lead her to her room. When I helped her get into the bed and lie down, she turned her head towards me and smiled a drowsy, happy smile.

"I really like it that I'll get to spend more time with my captain. I have a great idea of what we'll do tomorrow." She closed her eyes and turned to a side, smile still present on her face. "It'll be so much fun. You'll see."

I covered her shoulders with the blanket and shook my head, fighting my own tiny smile.

"Night, Matsumoto." I murmured before exiting the room.

* * *

_**A/N: Almost forgot! Check out my new Hitsugaya video in youtube. The link to the youtube profile is in my profile here. ^_^ I like being intrusive so much!**_


	3. Day 1, part 1

From this day on, I'm officially keeping a record of every 24hours I have to spend in this House of Evil. I'm going to use the kitchen cupboard above the sink to whittle lines and crosses with Hyourinmaru, putting a good purpose to the space just under the yellow inscription "Happy Home!". Or I might as well use my nails to claw the symbols, just to heighten the dramatic effect of the whole message, making sure that everybody knows how much I suffered when they find my rotting corpse, hanging on a rope from the chandelier.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

**Day One**:

**Objective: **Survival

**Enemy Forces: **Team M (a.k.a. Fearsome Matsumoto)

**Ally Forces: **Team H (a.k.a. Ancient Flying Pervert)

**Military Camp: **The Great Field of Kitchen

**Soldier: **Me

**Chances of Successful Objective Completion: **Slim and diminishing

I didn't sleep well during the night. I kept jumping from the smallest noise every time my eyes closed, and all these tiny unpleasantnesses worked like charm in transforming my skull into a throbbing timebomb. Nevertheless, I kept going with my sad attempts to slumber with my head resting on the kitchen table, since I was feeling way more than just reluctant over the idea of Matsumoto going on another night tour. When the exhaustion finally overwhelmed me, the sun was beginning to rise. Being the lucky guy I am, I had a nightmare.

Just as every other dream, this one, too, started from the middle. I was running late for a captain's meeting, which alone was a unnerving experience, and when I arrived at last, all of the other taichos had already got there and had lined up. My apologizes died in my throat the moment all of my colleagues' faces turned in my direction. Now that I look at it, the situation wasn't nearly as hair-raising as it had seemed to me back then, but at that moment, all I could do was remain frozen on spot, goggle-eyed to the point of impossible as the realization sank in in several cold splashes. Those were not my friends standing there in their trade-mark white haories – those were large, human-sized eggs and they were angry!

Moreover, the general-egg was the most macabre of them all. He turned to me and said:

"Captain Hitsugaya is late. He is to be exterminated without mercy."

Next thing I knew I had bolted towards the exit, all the twelve captain eggs hot on my heels.

The rest of the dream revolved about my sprint and several curious scenes I passed during the run, one of them representing my zanpakuto in human form, proposing to a very blushing and giggling Yumichika.

I woke up at the feeling of someone pulling me up. Two hands, trained well in the art of carrying drunken people from point A to point B, slinked under my arms, lifting me up on my wobbly feet. The only protest that I managed to form was a soft groan as I leaned weakly against a very welcoming and very comfortable shoulder.

"Have you been sleeping on the table the whole night, taicho?" she cooed gently against my ear and a hand rubbed my arms soothingly as I was guided out of the kitchen. My dulled senses refused to respond to neither the velveteen texture of the voice, nor the hot breath that was nipping tenderly on my skin.

"Sleeping?" I lisped tiredly and my dry lips broke into a half-smile. "No, I haven't been _sleeping_ on the table the whole night…"

"Did the couch keep you up? Told ya it was a bad idea."

"The couch is perfectly fine."

"A donkey would be more tractable than you are, taicho."

"That's why I am your captain, and not the donkey."

Matsumoto chuckled and made a slow turn to the left, leading me towards the staircase.

"I'm taking you upstairs." She announced and I suppressed a whine.

"Can't make it…" I mumbled with exaggerated feebleness and then emitted a tortured moan, letting my knees bend to heighten the effect. Matsumoto just pulled me up again, intentionally pressing my face to her chest.

"If you're going to act like a spoilt brat, I'll have to treat you like one, too." She informed me sweetly. "And you know how much I like hugging kids."

Of course. The hug-of-death card.

That effectively kicked the drowsiness away and I allowed her to lead me to the bedroom where I quickly snuck under the covers of the queen-sized bed, forgetting all of my inhibitions. A small smile twisted my lips as I realized it was still warm from where she had been lying.

"I'm going downstairs, taicho, to have some breakfast. You catch up on your sleep." She said but I didn't pay her much attention since half of my brain had already shut down. Ten seconds later I was asleep.

Waking up has never been a difficult task for me to accomplish – I'm a morning person by nature, unlike Matsumoto, who is your typical party animal and prefers passing her days on the office sofa while having a much better way to spending the night hours. To some extent, this has always been a bit of an issue between us, especially when we dated, because I was usually collapsing on the bed at the same time she was getting up, fresh and ready for trouble-making.

Hyourinmaru has always mocked my strict waking up and going to bed regime. He says I'm like a chicken, which I have tried to decipher on several occasions with very little success so far. I try to believe what he really means is a "rooster" but one can never know what is boiling in that icy head.

Anyway, back to Day 1. I woke up in the early afternoon, feeling my body heavy and my eyes reluctant to open. As an addition to the effects of the oversleeping, my neck felt stiff and painful on the right side, probably a cruel reminder never to fall asleep on a kitchen table in the future.

I slid out of the bed with a groan and headed towards the corridor, all the while muttering with vexation under my breath. The smell of friend eggs hit me hard in the face as I opened the door of the bedroom and I shivered with distaste. The dream from last night was plenty enough of a reason not to eat a single egg in my entire life again. Ever.

"What are you doing?" I asked, dragging my feet in the kitchen. Matsumoto, who was currently nudging the content of a frying pan with a wooden spoon, peeked over her should at me and grinned.

"Putting my amazing cooking skills to a use." She said, batting her lashes demurely. I sighed wearily.

"You should stop before adding anything unthinkable to this." I pointed out, pulling a bottle of fresh milk out of the fridge and pouring myself a glass.

"Cucumber cubes and maple syrup is not unthinkable. It's just very original…" she argued and I rolled my eyes. "By the way, taicho, you don't look so good… You're not getting sick, are you?"

I drained the milk and removed the brim of the glass from my lips almost painfully slowly as I thought over what to reply. I knew sleepwalkers didn't usually remember sleepwalking so there was a very good chance that she didn't even know she was doing this.

I poured myself another dosage of milk and drank it just as quickly, feeling the cold liquid flow down through my system pleasantly. Truth to be told, I wasn't sure if I really had to tell Matsumoto anything about what had happened. I mean, truthfully, I didn't remember seeing her do anything like this when we dated, so last night could've been an isolated case due to higher stress levels. Therefore, was there any point in worrying her in vain right now? Like it wasn't enough that her eggs were on fire.

"Stop staring, Matsumoto." I scolded her impassively when her eyes on the back of my head became a bit too much. "I'm not going to "kick the bucket" because of a horrible virus. Unlike me, though, your food is burning to death."

The screech that followed my discovery almost burst my eardrums, but somehow as opposed to my lieutenant's meal, they were actually successful in getting out alive. Truth to be told, watching Matsumoto scurry over the brand new disaster she's caused has always been an amusing thing to witness, which is why, being the much experienced and gallant captain I am, I propped myself on the kitchen counter and joyfully contemplated the scene. Laughing openly the whole time, too.

Five minutes of that were plenty enough to make my stomach ache. My lieutenant might be very deft and ingenious when it comes to combat skills but in the kitchen she's as helpless as a turtle that has tumbled over on its back. I mean look at her – she spent half of her time screaming and jumping on one spot, eyes glued with horror on her burning food, and just then did she remember to do something about it. Which, of course, was not turning off the cooker, but (observe her brilliant analytical abilities!) blow as hard as she could on the eggs. I fall silent in awe, goggling at the sight of a fully grown woman who apparently has absolutely no idea of how to handle a fire emergency if she were to so unfortunately discover herself in one. Bothersome, I conclude, the absurdity of the situation still in a heavy traffic jam on its way to reach my mind, but what to do. At least she's putting some genuine effort in surmounting this little hinder.

I blink.

Her blowing abilities are impressive, something notes in the back of my mind as I continue scrutinizing the happening, my head cocking to a side as my brow arches with a sort of curiosity. And the apron looks very nice on her. Like it's not ever there.

'It's not working!' she screeches then and the candid fear in her voice acts like a green light for my train of thoughts. 'I'd be surprised if it did' I manage cleverly before bursting into uproarious laughter. She doesn't tolerate my response, I can see it in her menacingly shining eyes, but the hell do I care, my lungs are going to explode.

"Taicho, if you're going to be like this the whole time, we won't be able to get along." She announces earnestly as she puts her hands on her hips. The mommy voice she uses makes me laugh even harder and I successfully crash down off the counter, clutching my stomach for dear life.

"…Off!"

"What?"

"Turn… t-the cooker off!" I gasp and for a moment she seems even more angry by my advice.

"Don't tell me what to do!" she exclaims stubbornly but after a second of musing and defending her feminine rights, she turns around and does just that, sending me a sharp glare over her shoulder.

Several minutes later the urgent situation was overcome successfully and I had managed to wipe away the tears that had formed on the corners of my eyes from all this laughing. The half-accusing smile Matsumoto gave me as she placed the pan in the sink made something in my chest swell.

_**Nothing can make you laugh like she does.**_ Hyourinmaru chanted in my head and I closed my eyes, filtering out all the noise, blocking all the prejudices that had been poisoning every minute and every second I had had to spent with this woman ever since we broke up.

"Is there any particular reason why you're still standing here, half naked and smiling to yourself?" Matsumoto's voice cut through my blissful reverie and my eyes shot open, frown in place. Now she was the one laughing.

"Maybe there is, but I'm not going to tell you now, that's for sure." I bit back and crossed my arms in front of my chest. My words made her look especially pleased with herself.

"By the way" I continued, spinning around on my heel. "Any idea what we can do around here?"

Matsumoto's chuckle sounded peculiar and I had to suppress the urge to turn around to have a better chance to gauge her expression.

"So glad you asked…" she purred. "Come down when you have dressed and I'll show you."

I tried not to fear those words as much as I did.

_Flashback:_

"_Do you always have to sneak through the window?" Rangiku asked when I lodged my hands on the window frame and subtly leapt in her room._

"_I thought you said that was romantic." I pointed out absently as I dusted off my robes and turned around to let the curtains down. I heard her get up from her lounge, her airy steps approaching me from behind._

"_It was… The first couple of hundred times." She bantered me and I tensed, feeling slender fingers glide along the exposed skin on the back of my neck. "Still not ready to face the music?"_

_I didn't reply, closing my eyes as she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me against her, a quick, sinfully chaste peck landing on my cheek. At times like these… In such small moments, stolen wrongfully from the reality, moments, when we didn't have to pretend that there was nothing more than genuine friendship between us, my resolve did indeed falter, concussed by her warmth, her care and placidity. I hated her and I loved her for it. Because she made it sound so easy, so damn_ easy and tempting_. As if seeing captains dating their older (and taller) lieutenants was the most common thing to witness._

_But it wasn't._

_Not only would the whole Sereitei die laughing at the image of _me_ with _her_, but the general would be furious. Who knew what would happen to both of our careers… Who knew how our friends would take the idea of us as something more than just a captain and his subordinate…_

…_and most importantly, who knew how all this would affect our relationship… _

_No, I thought, shaking my head and reaching to shut the window. I wasn't ready to risk any of it. I wasn't ready to risk _her_. I wasn't even sure if I was ever going to be ready to do so._

_I heard her sigh behind me and it made my heart sink._

_I hoped she could see… how much it hurt me to be right next to her, every day, every damn day, and never, _ever_ be able to touch her. Never be able to even hold her hand. Wasn't that a punishment enough for being such a coward?_

_I turned around and captured her lips in an avid kiss, my arms wrapping around her slim waist to pull her closer. She instantly became supple in my embrace, her body responding to mine in such perfect synchrony that it made my heart melt. Her hands found my hair, digging through the thick locks and grazing my scalp – a feeling she knew I very much enjoyed._

"_Missed me much?" she breathed against my lips and a naughty smile twisted her mouth as she pulled back when I tried to kiss her again. A small whine emitted from my lips before I had had the time to suppress it and Rangiku giggled, her hands dropping on my shoulders loosely as he eyed me up and down._

"_That's strange…" she continued her train of thoughts as she played with the hems of the robes that crossed my chest. "You'd think you wouldn't be so needy after having to look at me all day long."_

_I caught her wrists, steadying them as I started walking forward, pushing her backwards at the same time, my eyes never leaving hers._

"_Too much looking, too little touching." I murmured and at that moment the back of her knees hit the sofa and we both collapsed on it, me on top. It wasn't a very comfortable starting position but none of us cared, we just gradually adjusted in the rhythm of our kisses._

Oh, God… _I thought as I fought to taste as much from her as I could. Her smooth lips and velvet tongue were moving easily against mine, her hands massaging my scalp as to let me know in between soft gasps that she was mine to do with her as I pleased. A low moan rose in the back of my throat as my brain registered the words and I moved on to kissing her neck fervently, my ministrations almost on the verge of urgency. Was it fear that was driving me? Was it despair? Maybe. Because every time I got to touch and taste her like this, it felt so amazing, so bloody mind-blowing that I couldn't help that small, incredulous part of me that rouse with doubt over whether it was a dream or reality. Whether I was going to wake up any second now, empty handed and cold in my own bed or on my hard, lonely desk._

"_Toushiro…" she breathed when I sucked on a particularly sensitive spot I was acknowledged with right below her jaw-line. I could almost see her eyes roll back from the feeling and it made me smirk against her moist, flawless skin. I flickered my tongue over the dully-colored spot I left there and moved down. I didn't feel bad about leaving any hickeys on her – it was Matsumoto Rangiku we were talking about. It would've been weird if she didn't have any. I, on the other hand, was a completely different story. If someone were to see a lovebite on _my_ neck – the news were going to travel around the whole Sereitei in mere hours._

_Her hands tugged on the front of my robes and I didn't stop her when she pushed the material down my shoulders, exposing my white skin to her curious fingers to investigate. Her actions faltered though, for just a moment, and she moaned when I attacked her mouth again, kissing her hungrily as my own digits dipped through her garments to feel her flat stomach. _

"_I don't deserve you…" I heard myself utter. Words that had gone through my head numerous times but that I had never, ever voice up. Words that I hadn't planned on voicing up._

_I felt her eyes pierce through me but my mouth covered hers before she had had any time to object. Her hands fisted into the rest of the clothing that covered my torso and in a second I found myself half-naked from waist up. Her body arched into mine as she ground against me more openly than ever and I suddenly realized my knee was pressed firmly between her legs. My first reaction was to withdraw, but her teeth caught my lower lip, keeping me in place as she guided my hands to her chest unambiguously. I groaned pathetically and she released my bruised mouth only to attack my ear – yet another weak place that she had recently discovered._

"_You're a fuckin' torture, you know that, right…" I whispered and she chuckled. At that moment my inhibitions crumbled to the ground and I pulled her against me, kissing and nibbling and touching every bit of Rangiku that I could find. Her own fingers left burning traces on my naked skin, her body molding into mine so perfectly I wanted to cry out in pleasure. She whispered my name breathlessly between gasps, destroying every bit of aloofness and self-restrain I had built with such utmost care. Layer by layer until she exposed my darkest desires, my purest fears, my deepest doubts…_

_My beating heart, my very soul…_

_**Master…**_

_I froze. For a moment there was nothing, none of us moved, even the air was still. Then I pulled back abruptly, crawling backwards to the end of the sofa._

"_Stupid, stupid, stupid…" I repeated, burying my fingers in my hair as my eyes darted across the room, taking into account the thin crusts of frost that had began gathering in the corners, on the furniture and on the potted plants. Matsumoto slowly sat up and looked at me, clearly bemused by my sudden withdraw. My shoulders slumped as I saw her breath come out in small white puffs and I stood up, fetching my robes and throwing them over my bare shoulders as I steadied my gurgling reiatsu. _

_Yes, the joy of being me... Usually, I was more than perfect at sealing my spiritual pressure, hiding it from enemy forces, keeping the temperature around me normal, etc. But also, I usually wasn't letting my emotions run wild like this, either. It was a problem that was pressing for a solution for quite some time now – was it because I was too young, too inexperienced, was it because I had pushed my limits by achieving ban kai at my age? I wasn't sure, it could be a lot of things, it could be a combination of all of them… But the issue was present – my self-control was slipping at a frightening rate every time I allowed myself to freely _feel_ and it was scaring the hell out of me. I had never, ever in my entire life lost complete hold on my powers and I did not want to risk trying. On one or two occasions I had gone about halfway to that point and the results were ravaging. And at those times I was lucky enough to have space, too… I didn't even want to consider what would happen if something like that occurred in a room, in a house or any other sort of accommodation._

"_Toushiro…" Rangiku called when I distanced myself from her and sat on the floor. I sighed, looking up at her with a rueful smile._

"_I'm sorry, I-…"_

_At that moment a loud bang sounded from the front door, followed by Ikkaku's voice:_

"_Yo, Rangiku, party time, you coming or are you going to ditch again? You know people are gonna start think of you as an old lady if you keep missing on all the fun stuff like that."_

_My lieutenant rolled her eyes and stood up, fixing her clothes and disheveled hair on her way._

"_I'll take care of it." She said with a grin, but I shook my head and stood up as well, heading towards the window._

"_No, go, have fun. I don't want to hold you back." I said, giving her a small, encouraging smile of my own. I hope she didn't see through it too easily. I was quite an selfish little thing coming to think about it. I wanted her all for myself, all this perfection and beauty, I didn't want her out drinking on any account, even if she was surrounded by friends (because she had too many male friends for my own liking)… Yes, I had to admit the idea of her senseless binges made my hair prickle._

_I let out an almost imperceptible sigh, telling myself to trust her. She had never given me any reasons not to, ever since we became… a "thing". After all… was it really her I was unsure in or was it me? I figured the answer was pretty clear._

_With that thought still blazing in my head, I jumped out of the window._

_End of Flashback._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: I wanted to update last week but I didn't have the time to finish this. Sorry about that. At least now you have a longer chapter to keep you happy... I hope.**

**Keep showing me your love and reviewing, your encouragement means a lot to me.**

**Tell me what you think before you go. :) *Bambi eyes*  
**


	4. Day 1, part 2

**_A/N: Well, more flashback, less present stuff in this chapter. And it's not very funny. Anyhow, I'll try to make the next chapter better, with more action aaaand longer. Yeah. But I'm not one to trust, so make sure to review and urge me to do so, cuz my lazy ass is really... lazy. Yeah... And be nice. No flaming.  
_**

* * *

"Whose idea was to give Rangiku what she wanted?" Renji asked, throwing the empty pop corn bowl to the left just before Yumichika very unfortunately attempted to sit on that same spot. There was a small yelp, then a very well-aimed smack landed on the red-head's pate, someone cursed, several people laughed and the world-balance was restored.

"She asked for it to help the time pass quicker. What's the problem?" Ikkaku asked, stretching slowly and putting his hands behind his head casually, his eyes never leaving the screens. "At least they won't be avoiding each other all day long. And truth to be told, fulfilling her request wasn't all that hard."

"Captain Hitsugaya would never agree on this." Rukia pointed out plainly and a group groan followed her statement.

"I wouldn't count on it." Renji, who was the only one to remain silent, retorted. "Rangiku has her ways to deal with the blizzard. I suggest we start making bets on this before the show's begun."

* * *

A couple of blood vessels might've imploded in my head when I saw what she was holding. The temperature in the house dropped my several degrees just from the frustration bubbling inside my gut and threatening to erupt like a lethal volcano. As you can imagine, my first impulse was to start yelling (like I usually did when she invented another stupid idea) but this time I forced myself to breath in an out, in and out and keep my temper under control. This was so not the moment to lose it.

"Matsumoto." I began, patience wearing thin like ice crust. "What in the world gave you the twisted idea that I would agree on something this idiotic?"

Surely, I expected her to whine and pout and nag – that's what she always did when I denied her something she wanted – what I didn't expect though, was that she'd get angry with me.

"Isn't this a big surprise?" she scoffed dryly. "You haven't even tried, yet you're already judging."

"I'm not doing this, Matsumoto, period. After all this years, haven't you learned what sort of things I would not agree on. They are not all that many or all that unusual, so do tell me please, _please_ how you manage to pick them exactly out of everything else when you speculate upon your 'fun' ideas?"

_Ok, maybe I pushed a little bit too hard_, I wondered for a second, but I didn't really have the time to muse over it for too long.

"What's your problem!" she exclaimed, her lips slightly pursed in the ends as she threw her hands in the air with frustration.

"What's _my_ problem?" I choked out with disbelief. "What the hell, Matsumoto?"

"'What the hell'?" she repeated incredulously. "It's the same thing every time with you. 'This is stupid', 'This is idiotic', 'I'm not doing this.'… Certainly anything I suggest would be below the all famous boy genius' level."

The sarcasm, probably quite alien for anyone who didn't know her like I did, made my jaw clench. This sounded too much like the arguments we used to have when we dated. And oh, did we argue a lot back then!

I resisted the urge to let out a weary sigh and folded my arms in front of my chest defensively. Truth to be told, I knew for certain that I had always contributed greatly to the misunderstandings, disagreements and quarrels that we had had. Deep inside I was quite aware of the fact I had an obnoxious, spoiled character that at times overthrew even the most unyielding patience of steel the way it happened with Matsumoto.

Rumpling the hems of the shirt I had just put on, I exhaled between my teeth, the sound vaguely resembling a growl.

"Fine." I muttered and she blinked.

"What was that?"

"Fine. I said _fine_, dammit."

A relieved smile blossomed on her lips and my own features relaxed as I watched her. Something fluttered inside my stomach as I figured she probably resented getting angry with me just as much as I hated seeing her do it. Matsumoto kicked one of the two cardboard boxes towards me and pulled a large gun made of metal and plastic out of hers.

"So this is like real gun, only it shoots little capsules of paint rather than bullets." She began, her index finger running along the 'weapon' and explaining lightly what the different parts of it did. When she was done, she pulled out a pair of trousers, a long-sleeved top and a helmet, all in khaki color, and started pointing out the importance of wearing them. Considering the fact we were in a house, I found no reason of why the ugly baggy suit should be designed as fake army camouflage but I decided not to ask. I was pretty sure the whole game was not meant to be played in a building, let alone an inhabited one, but as far as I was concerned, the more destruction was caused in this odious place, the better.

Bending down to pick the clothes that I was supposed to put on, I couldn't help it but imagine how I'd look in them if I were still short. Not very threatening, that's for sure. I'd have to roll the sleeves back to be able to hold anything at all and from the looks of it half of the leg's length would've been dragging behind me. Yup. The world down there is pretty complicated.

"So what are the rules?" I asked as I slipped the top over my head and on my clothes indolently.

"Shoot the other one and stay alive."

Well, that wasn't so hard to fathom.

"And if I shoot you in the gun, you lose." She added and I rolled my eyes contemptuously.

"Ah, that makes some deep sense. If you kill my gun, I die."

"I don't make up the rules."

"Sure, sure." I rumbled as I reached for the second half of the costume, putting it over my attire as well. Matsumoto was doing pretty much the same with the only exception she didn't seem nearly as browned off as I did. I experienced some difficulties with the helmet but eventually got it over my face, approximately at the same time my lieutenant managed to do the same. We turned to look at ourselves in the mirror in the end of the living-room simultaneously and the only thought that came to my mind was: _Oh, God, we look like a team for insect extermination. _

The words 'This is stupid.' pushed against my lips vehemently but I managed to bite them back, bending shakily to take the stupid paint gun from the box.

"One game." I snorted, feeling my nostrils flare underneath the mask, the weird smell of rubber and whatnot filling them abundantly.

"Wanna make it even _more_ intriguing?" she suggested and my brows shot up as I swung the gun over my shoulder. _Intriguing_? I would _so_ not use this adjective to describe the fake adventure I was forcing myself in. Like fighting hollows, arrancar and god knows what else wasn't enough, but we had to simulate 'murdering' each other for fun. Oh, yes. So entertaining. All this excitement is just killing me.

"What do you have in mind?" I uttered warily as I kicked the now empty boxes in the corner of the room before turning to look at her. If I wasn't so irked and frustrated, I'd most probably laugh at the way she looked in her downright abhorrent paintball suit (the way she was currently giggling under her helmet at _me_, thinking I wouldn't notice) but right now I just couldn't bring myself to feel the right amount of amusement. Blame Hyourinmaru for that, he worked his icy ass off for the purpose of crushing every bit of innocence and childishness in me ever since we had "the talk".

_**The reason of my existence, Captain Stuckup! **_

I rolled my eyes with a sigh and nodded to Rangiku, urging her to explain herself while I was still game for the whole stupid, stupid, stupid, idiotic, pointless, cracky, stupid, stupid, STUPID idea!

_**If you don't stop, your brain is going to boil. **_Hyourinmaru warned and I clenched my teeth. He was right, of course, the temperature was dropping again and I didn't even know what the hell pissed me off so much! Deep inside I knew it wasn't about the **STUPID **paintball game, or the inane suits, or the lack of sense and purpose of pretending to kill one another. No game was just _game_ when the two of us played it together and now more than ever, I felt that letting go and having genuine fun was a mission impossible.

I averted my eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm myself. My temper was getting the best of these days. So much, that people had started to notice even outside my division. Hyourinmaru teased me of acting like a pregnant woman with hormones running wild and free every time he thought he could get away with it – and let me tell you, my boggled mortals, that his peculiar jokes sincerely did _not_ help me control myself. At all.

"Nothing original." Matsumoto cut into my meandering train of thoughts. "The loser has to do something the winner asks for."

I puffed loudly. That so didn't make it more interesting. I wanted nothing from Rangiku, _nothing_. Because if I fucking dared to wish for anything, I'd glissade right down into La la land and don't even make me tell you what'd happen next.

Nothing, nothing good.

"Don't say 'no' before you've given it a serious thought." Matsumoto affixed, reaching to gather her hair in a pony tail with a wide rubber band just as I opened my mouth to voice my musings. I paused, clamping my lips shut as I weighted her words. Well, having someone owe you something was always a plus, that was true, and it didn't mean I had to necessary have her _do_ something for me. I could just as well ask her _not_ to do something.

_Not_ to nag me about doing things with her. _Not _to agitate me with pointless conversation. Not to, not to, not to… It was quite curious how many _Not-tos_ I could think of.

My lips curved into a rueful smirk as I thought about it.

"You're totally losing this match, Matsumoto." I warned her as I brought the gun in front of me and fumbled with it around a little to get used to the feeling of having it in my hands.

_Flashback:_

_I reached with one heavy hand to rub my brows in some vain, sad attempt to ease the throbbing pain that had gathered there. I could hardly feel my fingers anymore. My body and my mind had switched on auto-pilot, the ink dampening the smooth surface of the paper as nonsensical letters filled in the blank spaces in the documents. I didn't know how much more there was left, but my eyes hurt, my lids weighted and my back and neck were painfully stiff from spending the whole day in the same immobile position._

_It was snowing outside – snowing! – naturally my favorite time of the year, when it was all white and sparkling even when it was dark (which by the way it had been for many, many hours already). But right now I could barely feel anything other than exhaustion, lassitude and mind-benumbing apathy. I didn't even have the strength to be angry anymore – this had been one of the worst two months in my life and the way it seemed, it wasn't going to get any better any time soon. _

_I put down my brush and looked at my hands, a small snort rumbling in my throat as I rubbed my fingers together with my palm, feeling the skin there dry as the papers piled neatly next to my elbow. I redirected my tired eyes to the document on top of the unfinished stack and the letters slurred together, shaking and doubling as the whole desk seemed to tilt to the side. I shook my head hard and stood up abruptly. One quick glance at the clock on the opposite wall told me it was past 1 in the morning so I sighed and gather my stuff weakly. No more. I could not take this any longer, even if I wanted to - my brain was going to _explode_. _

_Getting out of the office, I felt the cool winter air engulf me and suddenly I could breathe freely. I hadn't even realized how much the office had been suffocating me before now and a small weary smile twisted my lips as I turned to lock the door. I headed back home, stumbling occasionally when my brain completely refused to cooperate. Shunpoing was out of the question – I felt too tired, too worn out to do anything other than drag my feet through the snow-drifts towards my destination_

_As I rounded the corner, the first thing that budged my mind and made the world around me swirl nastily was the blazing light that came from my own apartment. My head went blank and I just stared, unhinged beyond believe. This was without a doubt _my _abode, my own little cave with my own austere furnishing, vanilla colored curtains and fluffy matching carpets. Then who the hell would-…_

_It hit me so hard in the face, I nearly reeled backwards, my eyes going wide and mortified and my heart beginning to race dangerously fast in my chest as Rangiku's words rang clearly in my mind._

"_**You've been so busy the last couple of months, we barely saw each other… Good news though! It's your birthday in two days, so I'll come over and make something really nice for you. Come back from work early pretty please? Promise me."**_

_Why? Why, dammit! I almost cried out aloud as I slapped my face with my hand angrily. Why did I forget, why didn't she come to find me, she knew where I was!_

_The answer was so obvious, it pained me as I walked unsteadily to the front door and shoved the keys in the keyhole. Because I had bloody promised._

_I entered as quietly as possible and slid my wet shoes off, tiptoeing my way to the dining-room and pulling the scarf and the coat off of me in the process. She was there alright, sitting on a chair next to the table, sound asleep. The table itself was beautifully arranged with flowers, exquisitely folded napkins and cutlery I was certain I had never seen before. On the side note, I was pretty sure the meal was full of surprises (literally) despite her genuine effort to stick to the recipes and for some reason the thought summoned a bitter smile on my face. I approached her quietly and my heart clenched harder when I saw the small white cake in the middle with unevenly written "Happy Birthday, Toushiro!" in the middle._

"_Rangiku…" I whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. "Wake up…"_

_A few moments later her eyes flutter open with a small moan and her pale blue orbs rolled upwards to meet mine sleepily._

"_What time is it?" she uttered only half-articulately and I felt some of the blood leave my face as I swallowed with difficulty._

"_Almost 2 in the morning." I replied warily and when she sat up, I stepped back, averting my eyes guiltily. Her own pale orbs traveled from me to the table she had prepared and the meals that had long ago run cold and her face fell._

"_Where have you been? I waited for you-…"_

"_I had so much work to do, all the papers and everything I had to read, sign and-and… it all just kindda slipped from my mind." I found myself nearly stuttering as my eyes roving hopelessly over her face in search for support, understanding ,and yes, as audacious as it was, even forgiveness. No such luck, though. Instead, I felt a large lump stuck in my throat as I spotted a gleam of disappointment somewhere deep inside those pale blue oceans. _

"_Toushiro-…" her voice was soft but I flinched anyway from the accusation that was seeping abundantly from just this one word. She slumped back in her chair and rubbed her temples weary, a small sigh tearing from her chest. "You promised."_

_It wasn't like she was saying much or attacking me or anything, but I knew this wasn't just about this one mishap, this one little mistake. A sense of utter desperation overwhelmed me and my hear set off on a wild race as I tried to fix everything the best way that I could before it was too late._

"_I know. I know. And I'm __**so**__ sorry, I'll make it up to you. Whenever you want, whatever you want…" My voice was so pleading that in any other circumstances I'd lose every bit of respect I had for myself just for acting, sounding this way._

"_I'm tired." She said suddenly as she pushed herself on her feet. My heart dropped in my stomach. Why did I have the feeling she wasn't just tired of today?_

"_Wait!" I called, grabbing her wrist when she attempted to walk pass me. "What's wrong? Please, talk to me."_

"_Toushiro, we're both exhausted, I don't think-…"_

"_**Talk**__ to me!" I pressed, this time slightly more aggressively and a hint of impatience sparkled in her eyes as she pursed her lips and shook her head._

"_Where do I stand in your life?" she whispered and I gaped, taken aback by the question._

"_What are you-…"_

"_Because, apparently, it's somewhere after your paperwork."_

"_What?" I pulled my hand back from hers as if her skin was on fire. "What the-… You know well enough I have duties, responsibilities as a captain, I can't just…"_

"_It was just _one_ night, Toushiro!"_

"_I forgot, ok? I said I was sorry!"_

"_But you surely wouldn't have forgotten if it were about some additional stack of documents, would you?" a strange bitter laugh tore from her lips as she shook her head, burying her face in her hands for a moment. "And it's not like you're even __**saving **__anyone's life – because, trust me, if that were the case, I would've understood. You're just filling blank spaces and signing papers. This is what you do. And that's why you forgot one damn promise you made to me. "_

_The bitter retort was right there, on the tip of my tongue. Brilliant mind, brilliant ability to hurt people verbally. If I opened my mouth, I knew I was going to ruin even the tiniest crumbs of chance that this could end well. So I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself down, suppressing the urge._

"_I am sorry." I uttered one last time, pouring all my heart and honesty into the three words and hoping it would do. We stood silent for a couple of seconds, looking at each other, then her features relaxed and she sighed, reaching to remove a snow-dampen string of hair from my cheekbone. I caught her wrist in the process and pressed my lips against her palm, screwing my eyes shut as I tried to imprint the moment into my memory._

_At that trice, I knew we weren't going to last. That we were going to split very, very soon. What I didn't know, however, was that what was coming up was just going to be our… first… break up._

_End of Flashback._


End file.
